Schools not ready for AI and 'crying out' for government guidance, report warns

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Schools not ready for AI and 'crying out' for government guidance, report warnsImage source, Getty ImagesByHayley ClarkeEducation reporterPublished26 minutes agoSchools are "crying out" for guidance from government on how pupils and teachers can use AI safely and effectively, a new report has warned. Sir Anthony Seldon, former head teacher and author on AI in education, says the technology is being used more and more frequently, but that its introduction has been "chaotic and anarchic". His report calls for the government to roll out a national framework for adopting AI in education in England, including training teachers on how to use it, which schools should use to develop their own "AI strategies" by September next year.

The government says its changes to the curriculum in England will give children digital skills and help them spot disinformation. Sir Anthony's report, co-authored with venture capitalist Tim Bunting, says schools have not been prepared for AI's arrival. Sir Anthony co-founded the group AI in Education, which was set up in 2023 to help educational institutions navigate AI safely.

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His report argues that getting a grip of AI requires the same level of national urgency as wars and epidemics, and requires a taskforce modelled on the one which helped to roll out the Covid vaccine. Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sir Anthony Seldon's report says "standing still is not an option" on AIThe report recommends a 10-point plan for AI in education in England, including:The prime minister delivering a landmark speech to set out the importance of aligning education with how AI is used in the real worldSchools and colleges developing their own AI strategies, and having Ofsted assess their implementation as part of its inspectionsA mass information campaign to set out the opportunities and risks of AIUsing AI to transform the way schools and colleges collect and use data to track pupil progressReforming assessments into a "two-lane" system of both exams and a "continuous evaluation of a student's understanding" using AIThe report says its poll of young people suggests many of those who responded thought AI was making education less important in their lives, with some saying it could eventually replace teachers and make universities "useless". "Put simply, education has not kept pace with how – and how much – young people are already using AI, and that gap is starting to show up as a loss of perceived value in the institution itself," the report says.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education says ministers take the "significant opportunities and challenges" of AI "incredibly seriously". As well as refreshing the curriculum in England, they say they are building new AI tutoring tools and introducing new vocational routes to get children into successful careers. Some schools have already embedded AI into the curriculum.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.